A number of spring hand rakes have been developed over the years. However, none of these have been very effective for removing thatch and matted debris from a lawn. The tines of the rake are conventionally oriented so that the ground engaging blade portion is oriented transversely of the direction of travel during the raking operation. This cross orientation of the blades not only produces considerable resistance to penetration into the accumulated thatch at the base of the blades of grass but also tends to damage the healthy grass when pressure is applied in an attempt to remove the thatch and matted debris. The present invention is designed to overcome these problems.